St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-16

"A FOrtune-Making Vocation Dis
coved by Accident-Howa GEN
IuS Furnishes His FellOw-Men
With Personal Newspaper No
tees.
Henry Romeike is recent conner to
the republic, but he is as bright. sharp
and ready for emergencies as if he had
breathed from birth the breezes or
Columbia. Mr.. ROmeike is young man
and has set out to make his life use
full by supplying his fellow-men
with information about themselves.
This knowledge that the supplies to his
subscribers is taken entirely from the
newspapers and is for sale at five dol
lars per LOO clippings. NOvelistS, poets,
priests, politicians, scientists, LAWYERS.
physicians. and men of the world seek
ROmelke and he religiously forwards to
them whatever of laudatiOn or abuse a
free and untrammeled press may con-
tain.
Romeile'S debut in the singular bust
ness of which lie is the pioneer was
brought about. not by chance. but by a
venture made when nothing else seemed
IN sight. He was born in Russia some
thirty years ago, and after acquiring
a good education and love for the good
things OF this life, he journeyed through
Europe.
TINE AT LAST FOUND HIM IN PARIS.
and saw him frittering away many hap
Ply but costly hours, until one morning
in January, 1881. he had to face the
question of existence. Only a few
francs jingled in his pocket. and as Ro-
meIke wandered about that day he did
considerable thinking. There was moth
ing for him to do in Paris. and he Gu
riOnSly specialized how the whole affair
would turn out.
He stopped at the news stand of an old
woman and aimlessly turned over her
journals add periodicals. While so oc-
cupied an old gentleman, whom he rec
| ognlZed as French artist. stopped at
| the booth and paid franc for paper
| that ROmelke knew sold for few sous,
Curious to know why the old mann
should pay the extra rate, he inquired
| of the woman and found that the artist
! had commissioned her to save all Deri-
| OdlcalS and newspapers containing ref
erenceS to himself or his pictures, and
| that he paid her franc for each one.
Here is an idea,'' thought Rameike.
why cannot this be carried aut on
larger scale: there must be MANY peo-
pie in this world besides the French
artist who would like to read about
themselves"
On the next day Romeike was on his
way to England. When he arrived i'm
London he invested all the money
he could spare i'll recent art pub
LEGATIONS. He sat down, went over
them carefully. clipped all personal
references and classified them. Then
he started from artist to artist and I'M
folded his scheme. 1t was success.
His clippings were bought and commits
SlonS in advance given. As fortune
smiled on ROmeike he took an office.
and as the possibilities of the business
became apparent he widened its scope
AND TOOK IN EVERYBODY.
All the great English politicians be-
came subscribers, and to them were
added nearly all who were prominent
in literature. arts and sciences. Earl
Derby had Rolneike compile all the
available contemporaneOuS data on the
colonial question, ''Buckshot'' Forster
soutgh information on the condition
of Ireland and Earl Spencer was anx-
! ious to be instructed on Parnell and
| home rule. Mrs. Blood, mother of Lady
Colin Campbell, availed herself of the
bureau. and i'll one clipping sued for libel
and recovered $500. The Salvation
army was the first client of the bureau.
ROmeike became the rage, and the
| newspapers used him as fruitful
theme and parliamentary speakers
| quoted him. He sent out circulars to
all walks in life with a series of CUES
tons: why have you failed in life?'-
Men who received the circular were in
dignant, but the whole kingdom talked
and wrote letters about the question.
He OrgaaiZed bureaus in Paris. Vienna
and Berlin, and, to crown ALL was made
the hero of the novel, "A Primrose
| Dance
England became monOtOnOus. and he
| lOnged for America. A well-known
wholesale grocer in New Y DIRK had been
his client in England, and OH returning
here had suggested Romeike'S plan to
Samuel Eeavitt. the well-known
social reformer and writer on
economic subjects. Mr.. Leavitt inaugu-
rated the bureau, and after some time
ROmeike himself came from England.
and the bureau is now fairly launched.
Nearly four thousand newspapers are
clipped from, and a large staff is busy
compiling the clippings.
Among the American clients of the
bureau are men i'll all walks of life. a
large number of corporations and writ
ers on special subjects.